Medicinal plants with traditional healthcare importance to manage human and livestock ailments in Enemay District, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) of plant origin have been used in the traditional healthcare systems (THS) of Ethiopia since immemorial. However, the medicinal plants (MPs) and the associated indigenous knowledge (IK) are on the verge of extinction due to different factors. The present study aimed to explore and document the plant species (PS) used to treat human diseases (HD) and livestock ailments (LA) in Enemay District, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia. The ethnobotanical data was gathered between January 2015 to June 2017 from 104 research participants mainly through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations. A total of 92 plants belonging to 84 genera and 48 botanical families were reported to have healthcare prominence in the management of HD and LA in the District. Asteraceae and Lamiaceae each accounted for 8.7% of PS were the most dominant plant families in the study area. In addition, 39.13% of the PS were perennial herbs followed by shrubs (34.78%) mostly obtained from wild (55.43%) habitats. Leaves (44.58%) and roots (43.33%) were the most commonly sought plant organs for remedy preparation and oral (54.17%) was the primary route of remedy administration. Moreover, the study showed that anthrax and Prunus africana as the most prevalent disease treated by 15 PS and most threatened MP, respectively in the District. Overall, the District is rich in MPs and concomitant IK, however, the absence of conservation practice and proper documentation jeopardize the sustainable use of the traditional knowledge (TK) unless critical community-based conservation strategies are implemented in the study area.